Dangerous winter weather hits Midwest, Eastern U.S.

(NBC) – A violent storm is delivering snow and ice from the Midwest through the Eastern seaboard with the conditions leading to hundreds of accidents on roads and highways across the region. At least nine people have died in those collisions.

The same system is bringing heavy rain and the threat of tornados across the South. The middle of the country is a wintery mess right now with nearly a foot of snow in some areas, a sheet of ice in others, wrecking the morning commute.

Mangled vehicles are littering roadways, some flipped or rolled on their sides as the conditions are being blamed for hundreds of accidents. Road crews are staging as the storm continues its march to the Northeast.

Simsbury, Connecticut Public Works Director Thomas Roy said, “Our concern is always the ice. These trucks and crews are set up to handle snow very well. Ice just very quickly turns roads into a dangerous situation.”

The dangers to the South are heavy rains and rare December tornadoes.

Millions across the country are dealing with potentially extreme conditions, but many are looking to make the best of it. One person said, “I’m all excited for it because it’s December and it’s

Christmas but I just had to get this done today because tomorrow is the cookie swap and I probably won’t be able to get out tomorrow morning.”

However, the weather is anything but a holiday treat.